SCIENCE

Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and South China Sea Institute of Oceanology researchers blamed China's economic boom for the shrinkage by at least 80 per cent of coral reefs in the region over the past three decades.

The idea of spending Christmas and New Year in space may sound cool but the six NASA astronauts pay the price of celebrating it away from their loved ones. NASA’s Expedition 34 astronauts are spending the holiday season aboard the International Space Station as they exchange gifts, dine and have fun with their own holiday activities while traveling around space.

Scientists from the West Australian Department of Fisheries are looking into the odds that the rising high temperature of the sea waters in the state are what caused sharks to swim near the shore and eventually attack humans.

With the end-of-the-world scenario now over, Australians would likely be able to concentrate on the Christmas and New Year celebrations, which would mean a lot of food preparations. It also means a lot of wasted food. Throughout the year, Aussies waste $8 billion worth of food, said a study by Do Something!, released on Sunday. Based on an estimated volume of four million tonnes of food thrown away yearly, Do Something! founder John Dee reckoned the value of per capita wastage at $1,036.

Despite the sun not flaring, planets not aligning and asteroids not hitting Earth, no mass suicides occurred on Friday as feared by national authorities. Credit goes to local and national leaders for taking steps to prevent the feared mass suicides.

The world prepared, but the Mayan prediction that the world would end on Dec 21, 2012 did not come to pass. With the global buzz that accompanied the run-up to the Doomsday, the date would definitely be added to the list of end-of-the-world predictions that fizzled out.

Australian scientists sounded alarm on the possibility that catastrophic tsunami waves could swamp Queensland coastlines in the event of a very powerful earthquake hitting the region.

In the combined U.S. Air Force and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Solar Geophysical Activity Report and Forecast copy released on December 20, there is no space weather threat on the much talked about doomsday end of the Mayan Calendar today, December 21.

In the event that the 2012 Mayan Calendar End-of-the-World scenario would happen on Friday, majority of the human race will likely migrate to nearby areas safe for living until it is clear and safe to go out again. But is there really a shelter that is 100 per cent perfect against anything that could happen in a cosmic catastrophe?

In two days, the world would finally know if the Mayan prophecy would lead to destruction or prosperity. In a run-up to Dec 21, preparations have been made by doomsday preppers just in case something does happen globally. It is expected that if the Apocalypse scenario would take place, chaos will hit the economy, health, welfare, shelter, food, and energy sectors.

Astronomers have spotted five possible planets within Earth's vast neighborhood. One of these relatively nearby planets could be habitable, according to a study. The five astronomical bodies have yet to be officially called planets because studies are still ongoing. But a couple of things can be shared with the public as early as now.

Human doll Valeria Lukyanova seems to be ready for the much-talked about apocalypse on December 21 as per the Mayan Calendar.

A walking catfish, a devilish-looking bat, a singing frog, a ruby-eyed pit viper and a two-legged lizard are among the newly-discovered species in the Greater Mekong region that the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has listed on its new report titled Extra Terrestrial.

Some people are anxious because of the “End of the World” prediction as per the Mayan Calendar and often wonder if there are places here on Earth where they will be safe.

Getting a ticket for prime seats in a major global or international event such as the Olympics opening or the Miss Universe beauty pageant would cost hundreds of dollars. However, one universal event that people all over the world are anticipating could be viewed anywhere. All that people have to do on midnight of Dec 21, 2012 to see if the end-of-the-world prediction would come to pass or be classified a hoax is to bring out a chair and a telescope on the front yard and gaze at the sky.

One of the most well-loved Bible stories is Noah's ark, which has apparently inspired Liu Qiyuan, a Chinese inventor, to come up with a 21st century version of the ark designed to withstand a doomsday predicted on Dec 21, 2012 by the Mayan calendar.

Music has long been considered a refuge of people and artists from global problems. At the same time, songs are a good way to express one's sentiment about different events in one's life, including lost love, considered by some as akin to the end of the world.

Scientists are often perceived as serious human beings. However, a released video of NASA Johnson Space Center’s own version of Korean superstar Psy’s hit single “Gangnam Style” proved that they certainly know how to lighten up and have fun.

While explanations from scientists and religious leaders have allayed apprehension of a doomsday over the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, two events that happened in the past few days may arouse again fears of an end-of-the-world scenario.

In three days, the world will know if the Mayan Calendar prophecy is just a prediction gone wrong or there is an actual truth about an Armageddon tied to the end of their calendar cycle.

Many are wondering if the Mayan Calendar 2012 is true and if the world will meet its end on Friday, December 21.

"If you're watching this video, it means one thing: the world didn't end yesterday," begins a NASA video of Mayan calendar doomsday debunking. Obviously, the video was supposed to be released Dec. 22, 2012.

Australia's efforts to save the Great Barrier Reef will be judged by the United Nations' environmental arm UNESCO in 2013, a deadline that will likely push efforts to the limits as this would be a make or break for the tourist attraction if t it is deserving as UNESCO's World Heritage site and worth to be preserved.

It has been a hot debate whether the world will end on Friday, December 21, as per the infamous Mayan Calendar 2012.

The Mayans had in no certain terms predicted the planet will explode or implode on Dec. 21, 2012. But some people still worry, and many of them are calling institutions like NASA to ask doomsday questions. The scientists, in turn, have repeatedly assured those who are panicking that Earth remains safe in 2012.

Sky-gazers can still catch an amazing view of the 2012 Geminid meteor shower. Traces of the meteor shower will be visible this afternoon at about 2 p.m. (AEDT) while its peak is expected to occur once again at approximately 6 p.m. (AEDT).

U.S. space agency NASA said this week that the annual Geminid meteor shower is set to reach its peak between Dec.13 and 14, specifically during pre-dawn hours though some astronomers have indicated that specks of the spectacle could remain visible up to Dec 16.

The fear that the world would end on Dec 21, 2012, caused by an apparent wrong interpretation of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, has created a loud buzz in the scientific and religious spheres. Doomsday scenarios are actually not new to mankind, with one of the first apocalyptic fear caused way back in 79 AD when the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the Italian city of Pompeii. The volcanic ash spewed by the volcano appeared to be a fulfillment of the prediction of Seneca, a Roman philosopher, t...

After eternally bashed for its defective iPhone iOS 6 mapping system, which had led numerous tourists to Australia to get lost in the land Down Under, Apple has finally released the much reliable and dependable Google Maps app for its Apple iPhone products.